


Inuyasha's Forest

by OtherCat



Series: OtherCat's Snippets and Incomplete Fic [6]
Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: F/M, Romance, fairytale
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2008-04-07
Updated: 2008-04-07
Packaged: 2017-10-07 15:23:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/66437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OtherCat/pseuds/OtherCat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU Kagome has been chosen as the bride of the forest spirit that protects her village from youkai. A retread of Beauty and the Beast and Animal Bridegroom themes</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. How the Hanyou Met His Wife

**Author's Note:**

> Yet another retread of the "Animal Bridegroom/Beauty and the Beast" fairytale trope. Now with most of the Fan-Japanese removed. I'm keeping the "youkai" and clothing terms though. Pleast let me know if I missed anything.

The white wedding kimono was taking quite a beating from the stickers and brambles that lined the twisting deer trail that led into the forest. By the time she reached the house that was supposed to be in the center of the forest, the kimono would be rags. _If I don't get eaten by a bear first, or bitten by a venomous snake that is, _Kagome thought ruefully. _They could have at least let me wear my yukata, and carry the kimono! _But no, fifty years ago, according to the old stories, Kikyo had donned a wedding kimono and marched into the forest to placate the ghosts of Lady Izayoi and her son, so of course _Kagome_ had to do the same.

A hundred fifty years ago, those stories said, a princess and her bastard half-demon infant had been driven into the forest to die. Out of guilt, or possibly fear of reprisal (because shortly thereafter, vermin had gotten into the seed grain, and half the winter stores rotted) the villagers had started leaving offerings for the princess. Those offerings doubled thirty years later when a youkai attack was mysteriously averted by what was described as a red and white forest spirit. The silent pact between forest spirit and the village was nearly broken fifty years ago, when the villagers decided that they didn't need to leave any offerings for the demon. After all, the demon was fully capable of hunting and killing on its own--but the demon had retaliated viciously, until Kikyo made her sacrifice.

"I hope Lady Kaede is right, and Kikyo survived being wedded to the hanyou," Kagome muttered as she continued onward. "I swear I'll come back and haunt her, if she isn't." She'd been walking for hours. She had started out early that morning, frightened out of her wits after a sleepless night full of nightmares about her "husband." _I am never going to forgive my so-called-friends for their stupid stories keeping me up all night. _As the day wore on however, the fear evaporated, replaced by irritation and exhaustion. "The first clearing I see, I'm sitting down and taking a nap."

She made good on her promise when the forest opened up, trees growing further apart and shading out their competitors. A soft breeze whispered through the leaves, and there were patches of wildflowers scattered through the thick grass. Feeling as if she were wading through water up to her hips, she made her way over to a nearby maple and sat down, leaning against the trunk. _This forest isn't really all that frightening, _she though drowsily. Butterflies really weren't all that sinister, and several of them were hovering over the wildflowers. Without even realizing it, she soon fell asleep.

It was sunset when she woke up. Her neck and back were sore from having slept on the ground, but she felt otherwise refreshed by her nap. She sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes. Kagome tensed as she realized that someone was watching her. Her first thought was, _he looks like he's seeing a ghost. _On the heels of that was the thought, _how could a ghost look like he's seeing a ghost? _

A boy was staring down at her from a tree ten paces from where she was sitting. His hair was bone-white and tangled, his clothing a shade of red that should have stood out like a shout in the forest, and golden eyes that were wide in shock. "Kikyo?" He asked in a husky growl, as if human speech wasn't something that came naturally to him. He jumped lightly down, and approached so quickly that it seemed to Kagome that he had somehow magically transported himself without actually crossing the intervening space.

The speech she'd been planning to say completely evaporated at the real, physical presence of the forest spirit. "Lord I-Inuyasha, I am Ka-kagome," she stammered, pulse racing like a rabbit's. What if the omens were wrong, and the forest spirit didn't want a bride after all? "I-I'm."

"Scared witless," Inuyasha-sama growled. "You _can't _be Kikyo." He leaned forward, and sniffed. "But you smell like her, even look like her." He sat back on his heels, ears alertly upright as he studied her. "I guess they picked my woman on looks instead of brains."

Kagome clenched her hands into fists, telling herself that screaming at her husband less than three minutes after meeting him would be a bad way to begin her married life. _Let's not give the hanyou a_ reason _to kill and eat me for dinner, _she thought. "I'm sorry that I don't please you, my lord," she said instead of the dozen or so things she _wanted _to say, her voice sounding strained and hollow to her ears.

The forest spirit snorted. "Didn't say that, idiot," he said, and caught her hands, and turned them over. "You can't even make a fist right. Curl your thumbs in like that, and you'll break 'em." He pried her fists open, and rearranged her fingers. "See, like that."

She was very tempted to hit him, but he still had hold of her hands. And however tempting it might be, she _wasn't_ going to kick him. "Thank you, my lord," she said, for lack of anything else to say.

"Hah. Definitely not Kikyo," Inuyasha said, sounding amused. He stood, pulling her to her feet. Then he frowned. "Can you walk?" He asked, still holding onto one of her hands.

"Y-yes, my lord," she said, and tried a few wobbling steps forward.

"And on top of everything else, you're lame," the forest spirit sighed, and started to unfasten her obi. Kagome squeaked and pulled away reflexively, but he caught her. "Stop that, I'm going to be seeing all of you anyway," he snapped, and removed her obi. Folding it, he tucked it into his haori. To her further confusion, he turned his back, and crouched slightly. "Open your kimono and get on," he said, looking back over his shoulder.

_On his back? He's going to _carry _me? _Kagome thought. The idea was even more horrifying than the hanyou's crude, bluntly stated comment. Blushing furiously, she put her zori back on, and opened her kimono. Hiking her juban up to her thighs she very gingerly mounted the hanyou. (She tried desperately not to think too closely about the word "mounted." Or "riding" for that matter.) Lord Inuyasha snorted with disgust, and settled her into a position he found more comfortable, curling his arms around her legs snugly.

"Hold on," Lord Inuyasha growled. Kagome had just enough time to obey before they both became airborne. Her stomach flipped, and her arms and legs tightened around the hanyou as he leapt high into the air in a way that seemed halfway like flying. He touched down lightly after what had to be a hundred or so yards, ran no more than twenty paces, and leapt again. Higher this time, and for much longer. Then he did it again, and again. Frightened, and strangely excited by this mode of travel, Kagome held on for dear life as trees and bushes passed by in a blur.

In seemingly no time at all, the forest spirit had stopped before a large clearing. Roughly in the middle of the clearing was a house surrounded by a fence. The posts were capped by human, beast, and youkai skulls. Lord Inuyasha let go of her legs, and Kagome slid off his back, drooping to her knees. "S-skulls?" She asked weakly. The idea of living in a house surrounded by skulls wasn't all that appealing. The idea of having _her _head on one of those posts because she rudely insulted his home was even less appealing. "How--how--"

"Gruesome," Lord Inuyasha filled in with a feral grin. "That's how it's _supposed _to look," the hanyou said, sounding very proud of his accomplishment. "C'mon, lets get you inside," he said, hauling her to her feet, and settling her once more on his back. He jumped the fence instead of going through the gate, and walked up to the house. Within the fence there was a vegetable garden, and a chicken coop. A white rooster was perched on top of the coop, glaring with sulferous hatred at them both.

Three cherry trees stood at three corners of the house. He set her down when he reached the front step. Oddly solicitous now, he guided her into the interior of the home and guided her to sit by the fire. "I'll heat some water so you can clean up," he said. Even more oddly perhaps given his words to her earlier, once the water was heated, he left the room to let her bathe out of a chipped ceramic basin.

The house looked well kept and neat, with tatami mats on the floor. It was large enough to have perhaps two or three other rooms, in addition to the one she was in. Feeling reluctant to explore, she dressed herself after bathing and letting down her hair, and waited for her husband to reappear. When he did, he silently removed the basin, dumping the water outside. Then he knelt at the hearth, and began to make tea. "I know you're probably hungry, there's rice in that pot over there," he said, pointing to a small pot placed away from the fire. "The bowls are in the pantry over there."

"Should I make a bowl for you, my lord?" She asked hesitantly. The hanyou shrugged and frowned, which Kagome interpreted as "no." Kagome followed the hanyou's directions and served herself. She studied her husband covertly as she ate. He wasn't the dog-faced monster she'd been anticipating, but neither was he the fierce and unknowable forest ghost. He looked young, and uncertain. _Is he just a boy, after all? _

Lord Inuyasha studied her more openly, serving her tea almost shyly. "I'm not a very good cook, and I wasn't mad enough at Sesshomaru to kill him, other wise we'd have meat to go with the rice," the hanyou said.

"Sesshomaru?"

"The rooster." The hanyou grinned. "I named him for my half-brother."

"You have family, my lord?" She asked by way of a conversational gambit. It somehow hadn't occurred to her that the forest spirit might have siblings.

"Unfortunately." Lord Inuyasha snorted. "He thinks the sun shines out his ass," he said. "I think he has a stick up there."

"You don't get along then, my lord?" Kagome asked.

The hanyou snorted again. "No." He set his tea cup down, and gently took the empty bowl from her and set them both on a nearby table. "I'm going to kiss you," he said and leaned forward, brushing his lips against hers, his hands opening her kimono. She shivered at his touch, frightened again, but not pulling away. "Kiss me back, moron," Inuyasha mumured against her her mouth.

Kagome felt her face heat. She tried to apologize, but Inuyasha just deepened the kiss, pushing her back on the tatami mat. She kissed back, feeling breathless and lightheaded from the kiss and the faint, fluttering pleasure she felt. It was awkward and uncertain, but her husband hummed his approval, his eyes warm and almost kind. Feeling a little more confident, Kagome touched Inuyasha, hands exploring his body, and clumsily unfastened his haori.

_This is it, this is my wedding night, _she thought, frightened, but also excited as Inuyasha moved back momentarily, and unfastened his hakama. They slipped down, revealing light, smooth looking skin. She couldn't really see him in the dim light from the fire, but what she could see made her blush again. The haori and the hakama were tossed aside, and Lord Inuyasha moved forward, covering her. "My lord," she said. _I'm not ready! _She shivered, recalling every last story her friends had teased her with on the night before her by-proxy wedding. It would hurt, there would be blood--who knew what a youkai might do to his wife?

"Idiot," the hanyou muttered, and nuzzled at her neck. "Stop being scared of me. Not gonna hurt you."

"I'm a virgin," she whispered.

His knee nudged her legs apart, and she could feel his erection pressed against her thigh. She tensed, making a noise that was somewhere between a gasp and a whimper. "It'll hurt, but not much," Inuyasha said. "I'll go slow." He kissed her, slow and careful until the tension had eased from her muscles. Warmth flushed through her body at his touch, and his skin felt warm and smooth under her hands. With great daring, she even played with his velvety ears, which made him blush and growl softly at her--then complain when she stopped.

It hurt when he finally entered her, a blunt pressure that made her squirm, and the hanyou tense, and make a noise as if he were the one in pain. He lay there for a moment, face pressed against the crook of her neck and shoulder before he began to move again. She clung to him, and shivered when he finally gave a sort of long sigh, and collapsed on top of her, nuzzling her in an almost sleepy fashion. "My lord?" She asked.

"Jus' lie here for a little while," the hanyou mumbled. "Then bed."


	2. Lord Sesshomaru and the Fox-Child

When Kagome awoke the next morning, it was in a small bedroom, the doorway covered by a tapestry depicting a immense white dog howling at the moon. She was naked beneath the thin blanket covering her, and she felt sore, and a little stiff. Her husband was fully clothed and slept squatting in a corner a few feet away from the bed. An old, banged up looking katana lay in the crook of his arm. _How does he sleep like that, without falling over? _She wondered. When she rose from the bed, his ears twitched, but he didn't otherwise stir.

Those ears were soft and sweet looking, and Kagome felt a terrible temptation to tweak them--but there was a more pressing problem. The only clothing she had was her wedding kimono. Which was in the other room, and spotted with her blood. _Why couldn't they let me take my own clothes! _Kagome thought with frustration. She let out a tiny, annoyed huff, which made the forest spirit's ears twitch a second time, and his eyes open. "My lord, forgive me for waking you," she said.

"Was supposed to be awake first, anyway," the forest spirit said in a low, rough voice. He set his sword aside, and moved forward, settling on his knees before her. "There's hakama and yukata in the chest over there," he said, indicating the chest with a nod. "I'll let you dress, and show you around." He kissed her on the mouth and rose, slipping out of the bedroom.

She could hear him muttering to himself in the next room, and the sounds of pots and pans being rummaged through. _He seems kind--or at least, not cruel--but I wish I knew what he was thinking. _Sighing, Kagome stepped over to the chest. The contents hadn't even been folded, in fact, it looks as if they'd simply been thrown in after having been hung out to dry. "He's a man all right," Kagome muttered, and began to shake out the wrinkles and fold the clothing, first selecting hakama and a yukata for herself.

She was midway through with her self-imposed task when her husband returned. "Wife, are you hiding in here?" Inuyasha asked. He frowned at her, and at the chest, as if he'd never seen someone folding clothes before.

"I was folding your clothes," Kagome said.

Lord Inuyasha blinked at her. "You don't have to."

"I wanted to."

"Oh," Inuyasha looked away. "I made breakfast. There's eggs."

After breakfast, Inuyasha showed her around the house and yard. He had apparently had the house built for Kikyo, as a wedding gift. He had called in favors from one of the other villages under his protection, and it had been completed in a fairly short time. The gruesome skull-decorated fence was meant to be a deterrent to both importunate visits from villagers brave enough to come annoy him in person (which Kagome interpreted to mean, ask him for help) and attacks from youkai and human bandits.

He seemed pleased that she could see the protections that must have been placed by Kikyo, and took her to the place where his mother and his first wife had been buried. Kagome placed flowers on each of the graves, and Inuyasha burned cones of incense. _He must have cared for Kikyo a great deal,_ Kagome thought, watching him. His eyes were soft and sad as he looked at their graves, and she felt a surge of sympathy for him.

"Why are you looking at me like that!" Lord Inuyasha said suddenly, glaring fiercely at her. "You're not going to start crying, are you?" He asked in tones of deep suspicion.

"I-I wasn't going to cry," Kagome said defensively. "I was just thinking about you."

"Thinking what about me?" The forest spirit asked with an offended look. "Looking all sad and sorry for me."

"Well, I don't feel very sorry for you now," Kagome snapped, then let out a horrified squeak at her temerity.

Too her amazement, her waspishness didn't seem to anger him. "Keh. Good. Come on, wife, there's still places I need to show you." He turned his back to her and squatted slightly, giving her an expectant look over his shoulder. Kagome quickly scrambled onto his back, holding onto his shoulders as he curled his arms around her thighs, then he took off in that by now familiar bounding, flying gait of his.

As he ran, he talked a little about his mother, the cave he had lived in when he was a child, and the forest he had played, hunted and fought in for most of his life. He did not speak of Kikyo. Kagome wasn't sure if this was out of courtesy to her, as the second wife, or because it hurt him to speak of his first.

He showed her where the hot spring was, three of his favorite fishing spots, where he usually did his laundry, and the Bone-Eater's Well. He pointed out herbs that were familiar to her, and quizzed her intently for nearly an hour about how much miko training she had received before she had been sent into the forest to be his wife. When they returned to the house, he introduced her to Myoga, a tiny flea demon that served as Lord Inuyasha's servant and advisor.

Lord Inuyasha stayed at the house for five days, his demeanor ranging from a boyish shyness to a sort of rough courtliness. He could be gentle and considerate, but also shockingly vulgar and blunt. It seemed to amuse him to make her blush or shriek in outrage, though having the tables turned on him would either cause him to bellow or sulk. He never stayed angry for long, and could usually be cajoled out of his sulks with food, a kiss, or having his ears rubbed. She felt a peculiar sort of triumph that by the fourth day he was calling her by name, instead of just "wife" (or occasionally,) "baka."

On the night of the fifth day, he told her that he would be leaving for a three day patrol early in the morning. "Stay inside the fence, Kagome," he said.

"I've been in the forest before," Kagome protested.

"Only the edges, and you had--you probably had, the old woman with you, and a bow," Inuyasha said.

"Myoga could come with me."

The hanyou snorted. "The only help you'd get from Myoga is knowing when to run."

"That's a very unkind thing to say, Master Inuyasha," the flea demon said reproachfully.

The hanyou snorted again, and flicked the tiny youkai off of his shoulder. "True, though. Myoga can keep you company. Stay inside the fence, and don't let anyone in unless Myoga says."

"Yes, my lord," Kagome said. "I'll miss you."

Lord Inuyasha blushed, then said gruffly, "keh. It's only three days."

For the first two days, Kagome kept herself busy putting the house and gardens into order. It seemed that her husband and Myoga had a very haphazard approach to housekeeping, tolerating a level of untidiness and disrepair that neither her mother nor Lady Kaede would have put up with. With the flea-demon's reluctant aid, Kagome soon had the house cleaned to her satisfaction, the gardens weeded, and a list of supplies compiled.

Early in the morning on the third day, Kagome was awakened by a childish scream. Without a pause for thought, Kagome shot out of bed and ran for the front door, grabbing a stick of firewood from the box by hearth. She exited the house just in time to see Lord Sesshomaru pursuing a fox-tailed shape--a child? A child with a fox-tail! "A kitsune!" She said in surprise, as the creature darted over the fence, escaping the irate rooster, dropping three of the eggs he'd been in the process of stealing. "How did it get through the barrier?"

"He is an orphaned kit, Mistress Kagome," Myoga said, leaping to her shoulder. "The kit's father was killed by a thunder demon, who was in turn slain by Lord Inuyasha. The kitsune-child has been lurking in the vicinity ever since. M'lord tolerates the child's presence, so the barrier has limited effect on him."

"I see," Kagome said with a frown. She found herself extremely disappointed with her husband. Would it have been so hard to find a home for the orphan, instead of letting a little boy fend for himself in the forest? On the other hand, perhaps it simply hadn't occurred to him to either take the boy in, or try to find someone who could care for the child. There did seem to be some silent agreement with the two, because because the fox-child had only stolen eggs, and hadn't killed any of the chickens. She decided to talk to Lord Inuyasha about it when he came home.

When Lord Inuyasha returned that night, he brought with him a huge sack of rice, a bundle of clothes, and best of all, a bow with extra strings and a quiver of arrows. She couldn't help the squeal of delight when she saw the weapon. "A bow! Thank you my lord!" She said, and took the bow and quiver from him.

"Keh," Inuyasha said with a slightly foolish grin. "You needed a bow, since you didn't bring yours."

"They wouldn't let me," Kagome said. "Kikyo went into the forest with just the clothes on her back."

"Keh. That's because she had a cache not far from the village." He laughed at her expression, though it wasn't an unkind sort of laugh. "Lets get everything inside," he said, and hoisted the bag of rice over his shoulder.

He complained about the "mess" she and Myoga had made of his house, and demanded to know what else she had "ruined." This ended in a brief, distracting argument that ended with Inuyasha kissing her, and tumbling them both onto the bed.

She did not get a chance to speak to her husband about the fox kit, or indeed say much of anything at all until the next morning when the young youkai attempted another raid upon the chicken coop. Kagome was once more awakened by the scream, but this time it was caused by her husband, who held the child by the scruff of his neck. Inuyasha was shaking the kitsune and shouting at him, and the little boy was shouting back, arms and legs windmilling furiously, but never connecting with the irate hanyou. Lord Sesshomaru the rooster stood a lordly distance away, preening his feathers. Kagome cried out in horror, and darted forward, snatching the child from his grasp. "My lord, he's just a little boy!"

"Don't you defend him Kagome! He's a rotten little thief!" The hanyou shouted. "I've been trying to run him off for weeks now!"

"You just try, you dumb halfbreed!" The little boy shouted back, and launched into a foul mouthed attack that turned Kagome's face red.

So she pinched his tail. The youkai child was so suprised at being disciplined by his apparent rescuer that he fell silent. "Shame on you!" Kagome said, scolding the boy as if he were her little brother Sota. "You should never say nasty things about anyone, least of all your elders!"

"Hah, I'm older than that dumb halfbreed!"

"You mangy rat!" Inuyasha shouted. "Kagome, turn him loose, because I'm going to make a cap out of his damned hide!"

"I'll do no such thing!" Kagome shouted back. "You're more like a child than he is!"

"Hah! Even your woman is on my side, Inu-moron!" The kitsune snickered--then yipped in surprise when Kagome swatted his behind, and let him drop to the ground.

"If you can't show better manners than that, you can go right back outside and find some," Kagome said in her best child-minding voice. The kitsune child gave her a wide-eyed look, and took off for the fence. Lord Inuyasha made to pursue the child, but mysteriously tripped, falling flat on his face.

"Wife, you let him get away!" Inuyasha said, jumping to his feet.

"He's just a little boy my lord," Kagome repeated.

"He's a youkai! And a stupid obnoxious brat!"

"So? You should set a better example!" Kagome said, and stomped back into the house.


	3. Kagome and the Hanyou's Secret

Over the next week, Inuyasha became increasingly short-tempered. He sniped and complained constantly, spending most of the time he was at home on the roof or in a tree. They fought constantly, until Kagome was nearly at wit's end. _I hope this isn't what he's really like, _Kagome thought in the aftermath of their most recent argument. She had thought he was sweet and rather kind beneath his rough exterior--but now she was beginning to doubt her first impressions.

Not knowing what to do, and having no one to talk to--Myoga having vanished days before-- Kagome went to visit the graves of Lady Kikyo and Lady Izayoi. She hoped for advice in the form of an omen, or at least a few hours of peace in which to meditate. When she reached the shrine that marked their graves however, she was surprised to find someone there.

A youkai, a tall male, with long white hair like Inuyasha. He wore a white kimono ornamented with red flowers, and his obi was blue and gold. His ears were delicately tapered, and there was a crescent moon on his brow, and stripes on his cheeks. He was the most beautiful, most terrifying being she had ever seen.

Kagome's grip tightened on her bow, heart pounding, feeling rooted in place by the sight of the youkai, and the energy that seemed to crackle around the still figure. She had fought youkai before, the small nearly-beast monsters that sometimes slipped past Lord Inuyasha, but she had never seen a youkai who looked this human, who looked this inhumanly perfect. The only thing marring that perfection was that the youkai was crippled--one sleeve of his kimono hung loose and empty. "You are tresspassing upon a family shrine," she said, amazed that her voice shook only a little. "This land belongs to Lord Inuyasha, my husband."

Amber eyes studied her so impassively she wondered if he had even understood her. "I am Sesshomaru, his brother and liege-lord. The land he holds is land I granted him."

"I--forgive me, Lord Sesshomaru," Kagome said with a deep bow. "I didn't know."

"I would not expect you to know," the youkai replied in an neutral voice. "Any more than I would expect my brother to inform me that he had wed once more." Sesshomaru tilted his head slightly. "You bear more than a passing resemblance to his first wife, the lady Kikyo. Are you perhaps a relative?"

"Not as far as I know, my lord," Kagome replied. He hadn't asked for her name, and she didn't feel comfortable offering it. "May I ask the reason for your visit?"

"I will be patrolling this territory tonight and tomorrow night." Sesshomaru said with an unreadable look. "In accordance with my duties as his liege lord. You will tell him to meet me here, lady."

"Yes, my lord," Kagome said with another bow. When she rose from her bow, Sesshomaru was gone. She wondered at his words. Neither Myoga nor Lord Inuyasha had said anything about a visit from Lord Sesshomaru, or that he would be taking over Inuyasha's duties. She wasn't sure whether Sesshomaru expected her to deliver his message immediately or not, so she only burned some incense before returning to the house.

Inuyasha was sitting in one of the cherry trees near the house, sulking like an angry child. The twitching of his ears was the only sign that he was aware of her presence. Kagome supressed a sigh, and went over to the tree. "Husband," she said with a bow. "I do not wish to disturb you, but your brother--"

"Sesshomaru's here?" Inuyasha jumped out of the tree, and stalked over to her. "Did he say anything to you?" He demanded.

"Only that he wished to speak to you. And that he would be patrolling tonight and tomorrow night," Kagome said.

"Keh," Inuyasha said. "I'll be back before nightfall. Don't bother saving any dinner for me," he said, and bounded away, leaping over the high fence.

Kagome sighed and went into the house. She missed her little brother, and the village children, and helping Kaede in her garden. She was used to a village full of people, and listening to her friends gossip and giggle. Except for Myoga, Inuyasha, and Shippo, she had no one to talk to. She wished she could visit her friends and family, but she wasn't sure if Inuyasha would grant her permission. Had Kikyo ever asked to go home? According to the story, she had never been seen again by any member of the village after she had left it.

She made supper for her self, and took a bowl of rice out to Shippo. The kitsune child showed her the illusion tricks he'd been practicing, and showed off the various "treasures" he'd found in the forest. After admiring the shed snake skin, the hawk feathers and quartz pebbles, she accepted his gift of herbs and flowers. and took them back into the house. She hoped she would be able to find a way to convince Inuyasha to at least let Shippo stay in within the fenced yard at night. Though she knew that Shippo was better able to care for himself than a human child would be, she still worried. He was still a little boy, even if he was a fox demon, and children shouldn't be on their own.

Inuyasha returned home a few hours later, walking with a slight limp. He was bruised and battered looking, but the bruises were fading even as she watched. "I'm fine," he growled at her tentative inquiry. "Wife, tonight, you must sleep in here by the fire instead of in the bedroom," he said. "There's a spare futon in the back room, you can use that. No matter what you hear tonight, don't come into the bedroom, all right?"

"Of course, husband," Kagome said, puzzled. Why would he ask her to stay out of the room? "May I ask why?"

Inuyasha looked away. "No. Just stay out of the bedroom. No matter what."

"I wish you would tell me what's wrong, husband," Kagome said. "You've been out of sorts for days."

"Nothing's wrong," Inuyasha said, still not looking at her. "There's nothing you can do about it anyway." He flushed, and gave her a quick, mortified glance, as if he'd said more than he intended to. "Just stay away, Kagome," he growled, and stalked into the bedroom.

Kagome glowered at the doorway her husband had disappeared into and stalked into the back room, and hauled out the spare futon. She made her bed by the fire, and made some tea to calm her nerves, every so often glancing toward the quiet bedroom. What was wrong with Inuyasha?

_There's nothing you can do about it, anyway. _Kagome puzzled over Inuyasha's words. Something was going to happen tonight, she realized. _What could it be, that would make him so upset? _Something that Inuyasha was ashamed of, if the look he'd given her meant anything. Sighing, she finished her tea, and went to bed. Maybe she would try--one more time--to talk to him in the morning.

She was startled awake a few hours later by a shout from the bedroom. "Inuyasha? Are you all right?" Kagome called, casting aside her blankets, and approaching the bedroom doorway. Remembering Inuyasha's order, she didn't enter. Instead, she knelt beside the tapestry covering the door.

"I'm fine! It was just a dream," Inuyasha snapped. "Don't come in here!"

"I won't," Kagome said. She thought that Inuyasha's voice sounded very odd, as if it had lost some tone or timbre that was noticeable only by its absence. "A dream? What's wrong?"

"Nothing! Nothing's wrong."

"Yes there is," Kagome said. "There is something that's been upsetting you, and I want to know what it is."

"I am not upset! There is nothing wrong, so go back to bed, Kagome!"

"No," Kagome said, suddenly angry. "Not until you tell me what's wrong."

"Wife, you're supposed to do what I say!"

"Not if you're not making any sense I'm not!" Kagome shouted.

"Yes you are!"

"No I'm not!"

"Yes you are!"

"No I'm--I am not going to have this childish argument with you," Kagome said, and jumped up to her feet. "I'm going for a walk, Inuyasha." She needed to get out of the house and away from her infuriating husband for a while.

"What? No!" It sounded as if Inuyasha were very close to the bedroom doorway, but he didn't leave the room to shout at her, as she would have expected, having become accustomed to his fits of temper. "You can't go! You have to stay here!"

Kagome didn't bother to reply, stalking toward the door, though she didn't reach it. Inuyasha tackled her before she could take more than a few steps away from the bedroom doorway. All the breath rushed out of her as she hit the floor. "Let me go!" Kagome shouted, and struggled, getting in a lucky blow that made Inuyasha grunt with pain.

"You can't go," Inuyasha repeated. "It isn't safe!"

"Let me go, Inuyasha!" Kagome shouted once she got her breath back. She twisted, and much to her surprised, managed to flip Inuyasha off her back. Inuyasha yelped as he hit the floor and rolled against the hearth. Kagome started to give Inuyasha a piece of her mind, but the words trailed off as she stared in surprise at her husband.

Inuyasha's hair was _black. _Still long, and hanging in his face as he crouched by the fire, but black, not white. The fingers of his hands had flat nails instead of sharp claws, and his ears were round shell-curls set at the side of his head.

Inuyasha was human.

"Inuyasha?"

Dark eyes glared at her in the firelight. "Now you know what's wrong. Happy?"

"You're human?" Kagome said, not quite trusting what she was seeing.

"Tonight, anyway," Inuyasha said, looking away. "On the new moon. You can't go out when I'm like this. I can't protect you."

"Why couldn't you just tell me?" Kagome asked. She had heard of course, that there was one night out of the month where a hanyou lost their powers, but she had not known that this meant that the hanyou would become human. "Don't you trust me? It's true that we haven't been married for long--"

"S'got nothing to do with trust," Inuyasha muttered. "I just didn't want you to know."

"Well I know now, what are you going to do about it?" She glared at him.

Inuyasha looked at her, then away again. "Go to bed." He rose, and started to go toward the bedroom.

Kagome rose to her feet, and followed after. "Inuyasha--" She caught him by the arm. He stopped and glared at her, but didn't try to pull free. She touched his face, and he bared flat human teeth in an expression that wasn't a smile. "Husband, you are such an idiot," she said, and before he could speak, she kissed him, wrapping her hand around the back of his neck and holding on tight.

"Mph'mnot!" was all that Inuyasha could get out, and a whine that sounded like, "k'gome!" He started to kiss back, and slowly relaxed against her. His kisses slipped sideways, and he nuzzled her neck and jawline. "Don't call me an idiot, woman," he grumbled. "Why am I an idiot?"

"You just are!" Kagome said, angry tears fogging her vision. "You should have told me, instead of--instead of being so bad tempered and horrible!"

"No. Oh no. Don't cry on me, woman!" Inuyasha said, half angry and half chagrinned. "I can't stand crying--"

"Then don't make me cry, idiot husband!"

"I'm not!"

Kagome tried to hit him, but he caught her by the wrist. "You are!"

"I thought you didn't want to have a childish argument with me." Inuyasha sounded like he was trying not to laugh. He let her wrist go, and stroked her back, holding her close.

"I don't, but you keep acting like one," Kagome muttered. "Don't laugh at me," she growled when Inuyasha drew in a breath that sounded like a barely suppressed chuckle. "You were horrible."

"Wasn't."

"Shut up!" Kagome hissed, and kissed him again.

"Kagome," Inuyasha murmured, in a soft, intimate voice.

Kagome smiled, despite her still simmering anger at Inuyasha. Greatly daring, she started to walk backward, toward the futon, drawing Inuyasha with her. "Be with me tonight, husband," she said softly, when he began to balk. "Please?"

Inuyasha's eyes widened, and for some reason, a faint blush colored his cheeks. "You really want me to?" Inuyasha asked. "Even though I was horrible?"

"Even though," Kagome said with a smile.


End file.
